The Whitney Museum of American Art is turning its galleries into a full-blown Pop celebration! On October 11, the museum opens Roy Lichtenstein: Like New, the first major New York survey of the legendary Pop artist in more than three decades — fantastic news for art lovers everywhere.
More than 130 works spanning six decades, from the early 1940s through the 1990s, trace Lichtenstein’s lifelong obsession with copying, enlarging, and remaking images — an idea that feels more alive than ever in the age of memes and reposts. The show goes far beyond the famous comic-book panels to reveal the brilliant mind behind them: decades before the digital age, Lichtenstein understood that images are never fixed — they are continually copied, enlarged, circulated, and made new.
Highlights include beloved icons like Look Mickey (1961), Girl with Ball (1961), Masterpiece (1962), Drowning Girl (1963), and Happy Tears (1964). For the first time ever, the Whitney reunites all eight paintings from Lichtenstein’s landmark 1962 debut at the Leo Castelli Gallery, recreating the installation that made him a star. Visitors will also marvel at a nearly 96-foot recreation of the Greene Street Mural (1983) and an outdoor presentation of Girl in Window (1964), realized by guest curator and artist Alex Da Corte.
Opening on a sweet note: October 11 is also a Free Second Sunday, so visitors can explore the exhibition with free admission, music, and artmaking activities. Running alongside it, Roy Lichtenstein: 1997 showcases rarely seen works from the final year of the artist’s life (through June 1, 2027). Don’t miss it!
Photo: Kidfly182 via Wikimedia Commons
